DALLAS, Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp., in
collaboration with the state of Texas, announced new programs and events to
address the need for digital and technical skills in the workforce.
The digital alliance is intended to create new economic
opportunity, close equity and digital skills gaps, and prepare a
workforce for the 21st century.
"The expansion of our Accelerate program to the state of
Texas is an unparalleled
opportunity to speed up the local economic recovery and bring
critical digital skills to Texans," said Kate Johnson, president of Microsoft U.S. "We
hope this program will be a transformative opportunity for
students, teachers, workers and the entire community."
The effort, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency,
will provide digital skills through the Microsoft Accelerate
initiative, designed to address economic recovery through skilling
both underserved communities and re-skilling Americans impacted by
COVID-19. In August, the company announced Accelerate: Houston and now continues its work in
Texas with an expanded commitment
statewide. The effort represents the continued implementation
across the U.S. of Microsoft's Global Skills Initiative, an
ambitious plan to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new
digital skills by the end of the year.
Other partners supporting the alliance include STEMuli, The Ion,
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dallas
Independent School District (Dallas ISD), Bell, Big Thought,
Stedman Graham and Associates,
Tribute to Valor, National Math and Science Initiative,
University of Houston College of
Technology, Dallas Regional Chamber, and Irving Chamber of Commerce.
"Education was the launching pad that took me from a low-income
Houston community to medical
school, NASA, space and beyond," said Dr. Bernard Harris, CEO of the National Math and
Science Initiative and former NASA astronaut. "As a native Texan
and lifelong STEM advocate, I'm grateful for Microsoft's investment
in this initiative. NMSI is committed to ensuring digital access,
digital literacy and high-quality STEM content for all teachers and
students across Texas and our
great nation, and we're excited to work with Microsoft, the TEA,
DISD, NASA and other partners."
Microsoft and the Texas Education Agency are collaborating on a
range of digital skills programs across the state to address a
variety of needs including STEM engagement and talent pipeline
growth for students in K-12; professional development for K-16
educators, thought leaders and the education NGO ecosystem; and
workforce development for high school and college students, as well
as parents seeking opportunities to enhance their technical skills
and business acumen.
"Closing the digital divide
is critical to developing the current and
future workforce. Our collaboration with Microsoft and
the Texas Education Agency is a model for
how to apply civic innovation to advance
equity in our schools," said Michael
Hinojosa, superintendent of Dallas ISD. "Initiatives
like Accelerate: Texas
and Operation Connectivity are a direct
investment in students that will open new pathways
for innovation and future growth."
New opportunities for students
As a result of this collaboration, students in Texas will be able to take advantage of new
opportunities such as:
- Microsoft Imagine Academy has been made available to all
state of Texas high schools,
ensuring students and educators across the state have access to
courses and certifications in computer science, IT infrastructure,
data science and productivity to build competencies and validate
skills for high-demanded technologies.
- The first statewide Imagine Cup Junior
competition. Students ages 13 to 18 will be able to sign
up for the opportunity to learn about technology and how it can be
used to positively change the world. The competition AI for Good
initiatives further encourage them to brainstorm ideas to solve
social, cultural and environmental issues.
Over the next two years, there will be additional events and
programs for students:
- Day of Data. The Hacking STEM team is partnering
with NASA to bring opportunities for students to explore how data
powers our astronauts and space missions. On Nov. 2, they will celebrate 20 years of humans
living and working aboard the International Space Station with
live events, lesson plans and virtual experiences.
- Future Ready A(i) Forum. A forum providing digital
training for future workforce skills with live and on-demand
workshops and seminars focused on AI and the Internet of Things in
advanced manufacturing, energy transformation, and autonomous
vehicle design and development.
- YouthSpark AI and DigiCamps. YouthSpark Live
focuses on three key areas for student development — employment,
careers and entrepreneurship. Microsoft will partner with the Texas
Education Agency, corporate partners and school districts across
the state to deliver STEM-focused events for students in middle and
high school.
- LinkedIn digital skills training. Microsoft and the
state of Texas will implement a
LinkedIn digital skills training pilot program throughout the state
focused on future- ready skills for high school students. The
program will provide access to LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn,
GitHub Learning Lab, Microsoft Certifications and LinkedIn job
seeking tools to build on data and digital technology.
- Vertical Robotics Competition. Microsoft and the
Digital Alliance are collaborating with Bell to bring its robotics
competition to high school students in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Austin. The eight-week competition will engage
students in a wide range of skills needed for STEM career pathways
as they work in teams to assemble a drone kit and design, build and
integrate a robotics solution.
"Bell is transforming the way people, goods and data move," said
Chad Sparks, director, Strategic
Campaigns at Bell. "We are excited to partner with Microsoft to
build upon that vision and develop the future work force
collaborating on STEM events like the Vertical Robotics Competition
and the AerOS Early Access Hackathon."
Development programs for educators
This year brought new challenges for educators, who also need
support to bridge digital skills gaps and new training to adapt and
adopt digital technologies, methodologies and mindsets. As part of
this alliance, Microsoft has also committed to several new
opportunities for educators:
- Expanding TEALS in Texas. Microsoft will increase its
recruitment efforts to secure more volunteers and identify new
schools to participate in TEALS. Technology Education and
Literacy in Schools (TEALS) is a Microsoft Philanthropies program
that connects classroom teachers with tech-industry volunteers to
create sustainable computer science (CS) programs. Volunteers
support teachers as they learn to teach CS independently over
time.
- Innovative Educator Academy Series. Microsoft Innovative
Educator programs will acknowledge global educator visionaries
using technology to pave the way for better learning to host a
series of quarterly lectures and workshops on educational
transformation.
- Leadership Educator Accelerate Program (LEAP). A
12-week immersive program that will introduce LEAP Fellows to key
drivers and trends influencing the future of work and equip
participants with tools and strategies to enhance the classroom
experience for students and instructors.
More information can be found
at https://aka.ms/AccelerateTexas.
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corporation